Question

What will happen if an atom gains an electron? (A) Its charge would become negative. (B) Its charge would become positive. (C) Its charge would remain neutral. (D) The charge is impossible to determine without further information.

Short answer

When an atom gains an electron, its charge would become more negative, so the correct answer is (A) Its charge would become negative.

Step-by-step solution

Understand the Charge of Electrons

Electrons carry a negative charge (-1).

Recalling Atomic Structure

Atoms consist of a nucleus containing protons (positively charged) and neutrons (no charge), surrounded by electrons (negatively charged) in their orbits.

Effect of Gaining an Electron on an Atom's Charge

When an atom gains an electron, it has one more negatively charged particle, resulting in a more negative overall charge

Identifying the Correct Answer

Based on our understanding that gaining an electron will make the atom more negatively charged, we can identify the correct answer as: (A) Its charge would become negative.

Key concepts

Atomic Structure

Understanding the atomic structure is fundamental to grasping why the addition or removal of particles affects an atom’s charge. An atom is the smallest unit of ordinary matter that forms a chemical element. Within this tiny construction lies a nucleus at the center composed of protons and neutrons. Protons have a positive charge, while neutrons carry no charge at all. Surrounding the nucleus are electrons in orbit. These electrons, which have a negative charge, are distributed in regions known as electron shells or energy levels.

The balance between the number of protons and electrons largely determines the electrical neutrality of an atom. Because protons and electrons carry equal and opposite charges, an atom with the same number of protons and electrons is electrically neutral. However, if an atom gains or loses electrons, this balance is disturbed, resulting in an ion – an atom with a net charge due to the imbalance between protons and electrons.

Electron Gain Impact

The impact of electron gain on an atom is significant and can be described through the concept of ionic charge. When an atom gains an electron, it adds a negatively charged particle to its structure, thereby decreasing its positive charge by one unit. This is because, although the number of protons (positive charge) in the nucleus remains unchanged, the increase in the number of electrons (negative charge) means there are now more negatively charged particles than positively charged ones.

This excess of negative charge transforms the atom into a negatively charged ion, commonly referred to as an anion. The formation of anions is a crucial part of chemical bonding, as atoms often gain or lose electrons to achieve a stable electron configuration similar to that of the inert gases. This stability is typically achieved by having a full valence shell, the outermost electron shell of an atom.

Atom Electronegativity

Electronegativity is a measure of how strongly an atom can attract and hold onto electrons when it forms a chemical bond. It is a concept introduced by Linus Pauling, and it helps scientists predict how atoms will interact in a molecule. Atoms with high electronegativity, such as oxygen, fluorine, and nitrogen, have a strong attraction for electrons, while those with lower electronegativity, like the alkali metals, have a weaker pull.

Electronegativity affects an atom's ability to gain electrons in a chemical reaction. Atoms that are more electronegative are more likely to gain electrons during chemical reactions, forming negative ions. On the contrary, less electronegative atoms tend to lose electrons and form positive ions. Understanding electronegativity enables chemists to predict how atoms will bond together to form molecules and the polarity of those molecules, which is a measure of the distribution of electrical charge across the molecule.